The present invention relates generally to stability enhanced silicone or similar heat resistant synthetic materials that maintain their flexibility through many temperature cycles and will not deteriorate during multiple cleanings. The silicone material is laminated about another flexible, yet formable stiffening member to enhance the stability of the invention. This laminated sheet is then used for a variety of purposes. This application will disclose the use of this laminated sheet in the medical and food services industries but the application of this invention to other industries is foreseen. In the medical industry, the sheet can be used in transfer trays and instrument holders used for the transfer, storage and delivery of sharps (i.e. scalpels, needle drivers and other surgical instruments with sharp edges) between the nurse and the surgeon to prevent cuts and injuries as well as serve as a stability-enhanced “drape” that is placed upon the patient to hold instruments and the like. The resilient yet flexible nature of the sheet prevents the dulling of the sharps as they are prevented from scraping against metal tray and pans as well as serve as a sterile transfer vehicle. The formability of the invention allows for a myriad of customization.
It can be appreciated that stainless steel medical trays have been used for years. Typically, trays are comprised of “neutral zones” and “transfer” basins. The main problem with conventional trays is that they limit the end user to the size and shape when passing or transferring sharps and surgical instruments. Another problem of conventional trays in their ability to remain stable on top of an uneven surface such as a patient. It should be noted that instruments are generally placed on top of the patient lying prone or lateral during a surgical procedure allowing easy access from the nurse and the surgeon of instruments during the surgical procedure while maintaining sterility. This presents a problem in the prior art as current methods have an inability to hold and keep instruments in place. Some prior art suggests the use of magnets to hold the instruments in place. Though a common practice, there are many drawbacks to the use of magnets around delicate electronic medical devices, such as pacemakers and the fact that used instruments can contaminate the areas where they are placed. Instruments can also be magnetized by the placing and movement of stainless steel medical instruments over drapes with the magnets placed therein. This temporary magnetization can be harmful and is often not realized. Also bodily fluids that are associated with some of the instruments are allowed to flow across the mat, causing sterilization issues.
Trays are also often used to hold instruments allowing for separation of clean and dirty instruments and the containment of bodily fluids. Due to the limitation of the “fixed” shaped trays only a limited number of instruments can be accommodated at any given time (usually only 1). A current problem with using trays is that most of the reusable trays are made of stainless steel. When sharps, instruments or devices with sharp ends such as needle, scalpels or scissors, move about inside the metal container their tips are frequently “slammed” against the walls of the tray causing the sharps to dull. A dull sharp can be detrimental to the use and application of the sharp. In addition to this, because of the “free” movement of the instruments in their containment, there is a chance of the instrument to slip, slide and fall during passing and handling that causes injuries.
Some of the prior art attempts to mitigate some of the drawbacks of other prior art in creating “dead zones” or non-magnetic areas of the mat, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,866 assigned to Devon Industries or published application 2009/0267717 by Baskett. Both attempt to accommodate the fact that some areas of the mat can be magnetic depending upon the users needs. Baskett presents a complicated method of adding or removing magnets while Devon presents a mat that is static in nature. While the Devon mat presents a device that does have formable edge, thin stiffening members are only introduced in the parameter areas and produce an upwardly extending peripheral end but does not allowing for any containment to the sides of the mat and can only affect the peripheral portion of the drape.
In the food industry, the use of silicone baking items is very prevalent. Silicone has a very high heat resistance and has inherent anti-stick qualities. This invention allows for the customization of the silicone baking sheets, contouring itself to fit the application, whether flat for baking or “escalloped” for baking French style of breads.
In this respect, the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus that offers a “safety zone” for “hands free” transfer of medical sharps and instruments and a means for preventing damage to exposed medicals sharps, along with the ability to cleanse and autoclave the device, this high temperature cleaning and sterilizing capacity makes it perfect for the baking industry as well.
In the baking industry, this device can be formed into laterally supportive bread baking forms or used as a basic flat sheet. Current baking methods of laterally supporting certain kinds of breads while raising and baking can be accomplished with this device. As every baking operation is attempting to reduce the number of purchases of specialized baking equipment, equipment that can perform multiple uses is desirable. The baking industry is also desirable to using silicone baking utensils as they do not require extra coatings or agents to produce a non-slip surface which decrease costs and makes healthier products. Another advantage of silicone sheeting in baking is that they match the temperature of the oven or freezer much more quickly than their aluminums counterparts, and equally adjust to room temperature quickly decreasing the injuries due to hot pans coming in contact with the users. Yet there are current problems associated with silicone baking items is that, due to their inability to hold a shape, they require extra apparatuses to hold them in form, which increases costs. A silicone baking apparatus that can hold it's shape would eliminate the problems associated with current silicone baking sheets and pans.